James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (6.0)

There was something missing in first 90 minutes of this show. Perhaps it was because most of this portion of Raw featured more of the bizarre Shane-Orton storyline that included a backstage exchange that was very contrived in its setting. The execution was fine to tease the Punt on Stephanie, but Orton having these flashes in and out of IED is as annoying as that concussion storyline from 2005. They never should have gone this route of explaining Orton's actions against Vince two weeks ago because now they're booked into a corner. Perhaps it will come to a messy end at No Way Out when SuperShane tries to kill himself to get the match over with Orton.

The final 30 minutes was very strong and more on par with the quality TV featured in the first month of the year. The JBL-Michaels confrontation was well done and set up a probable conclusion to this storyline at No Way Out. Undertaker on the show next week is probably no coincidence to continue laying the foundation for a possible HBK vs. Taker match at WrestleMania. Also strong in the final 30 was the Cena vs. Jericho match. Nothing new, but a very strong finish to put Cena in a strong position headed to the PPV in two weeks.

Next week has Flair returning, Taker making a cameo appearance vs. Orton, and C.M. Punk defending the IC Title. WWE wants a ton of eyeballs for next week's show, hoping there will be a windfall creating more PPV buyers for No Way Out. We'll see if the new strategy of hot-shotting on the final Raw to sell a PPV works better than simply solid, compelling build-up to matches people want to see.

Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (5.0)

This show got off to a bad start but had a few good matches to make up for the rest. Orton's explanation for why Shane beat them up was needed, but it did not fly for me. I'm not going to give WWE credit just because they bothered to come up with an explanation. They needed to do better. Orton made it sound like his plan was for a match with Shane but until Shane came out last week, why would Orton have wanted that match? And why did Orton know the wrestlers would only help out if Shane started getting beat up? Why couldn't they have helped him before then? And then we got The Legacy running from Shane with their tails between their legs again. Beautiful.

The other gripe on "WWE Backtracks" night was Jericho back-tracking from challenging Rourke and somehow turning that into hating on legends. That came out of left field and has been done before. Whether this is just a detour until after the Oscars so they can properly build Rourke vs. Jericho, I don't know. I'll give Jericho the benefit of the doubt for now.

The tag match with the Elimination Chamber contestants and the Cena vs. Jericho match were both solid. I totally don't get Cena beating Jericho clean, especially since Jericho is the only real threat to Cena in the Elimination Chamber. Give Jericho a freakin' win over the guy for pete's sake. Cena doesn't need to be strong heading into the Elimination Chamber; or if so, he could do that next week. Is there anyone now who thinks he'll lose at No Way Out?

The JBL-Shawn Michaels segment was great, even though we got to see HBK's over-the-top acting again at the end. JBL's mic work and the writing of the promo were very well done. Perfect build for that match at No Way Out, but then again, is there anyone who thinks JBL will win, what with the stipulations and all?

Lee Stevens, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.5)

After last week, I would have appreciated any explanation for Shane McMahon's superpowers up to and including alien possession. Although this week's second act may not have entirely cleaned the bad taste out of my mouth, I certainly felt that the backstage beating was on point. It shouldn't take all three to take down someone from the front office, but after last week, I'm feeling slightly better about the entire situation.

I enjoyed the Chris Jericho vs. John Cena, even with the quick tap-out. I think Jericho is talented enough to overcome the sudden loss. I enjoyed the JBL and Shawn Michaels interplay and it looks like we're nearing the end of a program that was better than many give credit. Thumbs up for promoting the appearances of The Undertaker and Ric Flair a week ahead of time. I also enjoyed the Mike Knox/Kane tag team vs. Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio.

The good news for CM Punk is that he's the champion. The bad news is he hasn't won since his title victory. I don't need him to stay undefeated for the rest of the year, but I'm not sure what the WWE has against building momentum. Cryme Tyme and The Legacy deserve better than a short DQ finish off of a basic 5-count. I appreciate enforcing the rules, but it felt empty.

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